Meet Author Shelley Brimley

INTERVIEW 13If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?
-As cliché as it sounds, I would fly.

What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?
-I’m always a bit envious of people who can easily get up in front of others, be it to sing, speak, play an instrument… whatever the circumstance. I’m always nervous. I love to sing but can’t do it in public, or at least can’t do it without a near panic attack. I wish I could change it but so far, no luck.

When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?
-I start with basic decency. There is no superpower that can compete with genuine goodness.Are you a plotter or a pantser?
-I’m a bit of both. I’m happy to sit and write whatever happens to spill out and see where it takes me. There are times, though, when I have something very specific that I will write about and then fill in around it.

Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what?
-I learned that I enjoy creating a family and social structure in my head. I enjoy walking characters through life events. I learned that even though we crave happy endings, I won’t write one if it doesn’t feel real to the story. I have learned that critique is good even though it’s hard, and not everyone is going to like what I write. I have learned that having a book published creates an instant sense of vulnerability because all of your hard work is now available for anyone to review… and potentially dislike. I have also learned that having readers connect with the characters and content in a meaningful way is one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever had.

GENRE: Historical Fiction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~BLURB:
In defending his life-long friendship with Charlie, Will may have inadvertently had a hand in the growing chaos that leads to the horrifying night when his familiar world is shattered.

When Will Wright, the eighteen year old son of a small-town Arkansas sheep herder in 1905, begins reading his mother’s journal, he is inspired by its startling content to start putting his own experiences to paper for posterity. An unsophisticated but principled young man, Will is becoming increasingly aware of the hatred that exists in the world. When he begins his own journal, Will can’t know what events are to take place in the next five years – from his mother’s battle with a life threatening illness, to his embarrassments of learning how to be in love for the first time, to witnessing Charlie’s fate at the hands of the bigoted townspeople. While part of him wishes the pain in those pages didn’t exist, he knows that the original purpose for keeping the journal has been realized - to show his kin how he became the man he is. He will probably never go back through and read again the pages he’s written, but someday, someone will, and they will see that along with the hurt, Will’s life had been one that knew true joy, absolute love, and undying friendship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Excerpt One:

I’ve only been in this cell for three days, but it feels like a might lot longer than that. I know what I did wasn’t considered proper by most folks down here in the South, but I don’t regret doin’ it. And I’d do it again, if I had the chance. Charlie never did anything wrong. He’s just colored. Not much he can do about that, and even if he could, I suppose he wouldn’t want to anyhow. I didn’t feel it right that Charlie be ignored when all he came to do was buy feed and tools like the rest of us. So when Eli Carver said he don’t take no “colored” money, I thought it best to point out that he must be blind as a bat since Charlie’s dollar and my dollar are both the same shade of green. And when I held the two right in front of Mr. Carver’s face and politely asked him to show me the difference, he later told Sheriff Coleman I was threatenin’ and causin’ a disturbance. When I heard that, it just made my blood boil, and I decided Eli Carver needed to be taught a lesson. I went back to that store, although Charlie tried to get me to leave it be, but the next thing I knew, I was holdin’ Eli a foot off the ground against the door to his very own supply store. If Sheriff Coleman hadn’t been right there, I might have been able to argue my side, but there’s no point arguin’ against proof and common sense. Besides that, Sherriff Coleman is known for his feelin’s about colored people, so I knew I was beat before I started. I suppose I just didn’t care.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Shelly Brimley was born in Flagstaff, AZ, where she lived most of her life until moving to Mexico to study abroad. After graduation, Shelly did some volunteer work in Africa and completed her graduate degree while working in an adolescent drug treatment center. After acquiring her Master’s degree, she worked as a counselor at a residential shelter for children who had been smuggled and trafficked into the USA from different countries around the world. She also taught English to adult refugees before resigning to raise her children. Shelly wanted to use her experience working with others as a source of inspiration in her writing, offering a voice for those who are not typically heard or considered.